Ophthalmic surgery is, unquestionably, one of the more complicated and difficult areas of medical practice. Though ophthalmic surgery is not normally a life threatening procedure, there is always the possibility of irreversible complications. Thus, ophthalmic surgery must be accomplished with great care and extreme precision.
In recent years, developments in laser systems have made new applications and new surgical procedures possible. One consequence of this is that ophthalmic surgery can be accomplished with greater surgical precision. Despite the advances in laser technology, the use of lasers for ophthalmic surgery still has certain operational limitations. Most importantly, it is absolutely essential that the laser be properly controlled during a surgical procedure. This requires that the proper position of the eye relative to the focal point of the laser be maintained at all times during the surgical procedure. Stated differently, the eye must remain stabilized in its relation to the laser system.
Although laser surgery can be accomplished relatively quickly, it still requires time. As a practical matter, movement of the laser's focal point must be accomplished with such extreme precision during a surgical operation that even the slightest movement of the eye can not be tolerated. Unfortunately, it is physically impossible for a patient to hold his/her eye sufficiently still for the length of time required to accomplish a surgical laser operation. Consequently, the eye must somehow be stabilized.
Essentially, there are two ways by which a patient's eye can be stabilized or held still relative to a laser system during an ophthalmic laser operation. One requires an optical link between the eye and the laser system, while the other requires a mechanical link. For an optical link, an optical arrangement which uses light reflections from the eye to generate signals that indicate eye movement is incorporated into the laser system. The laser system then uses these signals to compensate for eye movement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,340 which issued to Bille et al. for an invention entitled "Eyetracker and Method of Use", and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses such an optical arrangement. The second way is to mechanically stabilize the eye in its spacial relationship with the laser system through direct contact of the laser system's optical componentry with the eye. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,543 which issued to Baron for an invention entitled "Process for Recurving the Cornea of an Eye" discloses such a system.
Regardless whether the eye stabilizing mechanism is an optical arrangement or a mechanical system, the mechanism must be compatible with the capabilities of the ophthalmic laser system with which it is used. In particular, the eye stabilizing mechanism must not limit the capabilities of the ophthalmic laser system. As can be easily appreciated, compatibility issues are even more pronounced when the laser system, as here, is computer controlled.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism which is useful for stabilizing an eye with a contact lens during ophthalmic laser surgery. It is another object of the present invention to provide an eye stabilizing mechanism which is incorporated directly into the optical system of a surgical laser generating device. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an eye stabilizing mechanism which establishes reliable contact between the laser system and the eye during ophthalmic laser surgery. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an eye stabilizing mechanism which is operatively compatible with a computer controlled laser system. Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye stabilizing mechanism which does not cause injury or discomfort to the eye during surgery. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an eye stabilizing mechanism which is easy to use, relatively easy to manufacture and which is comparatively cost effective.